Big cheers for everyone who made it to Week 2 of September #wipmadness and hello to anyone joining us! I hope you’re all feeling proud of the progress you made in Week 1–large or small. To celebrate, I tossed your names in my trusty Sox cap and picked a winner for last week’s book:
Deb Marshall step right up!
Just let me know your address and which book you’d like (Circle Nine, League of Strays, The Breakup Bible, or The Forest for the Trees) and I’ll send it off to you. Everyone else, be sure to comment for your chance to win this week!
Continuing with this month’s theme of WIP love, I thought I’d dive into the world of visual inspiration and tempt you all with some photos from my trip to Iceland that have been inspiring me while drafting my current WIP.
Viking ship replica
Blue Lagoon
Reykjavík
Heading to Laugardalslaug
Geothermal greenhouses
Although I didn’t get to spend as much time in Iceland as I’d like (which means a return trip must be in my future), I love going there in my imagination every day, and images like this help remind me what a haunting place it is.
What kind of visuals motivate you in your current WIP? I’d love to take a look at any links to pinterest boards, artwork, photos, colors, or textures that have been an inspiration! While you’re at it, feel free to share how you’re doing on your #wipmadness goal for the month!
I absolutely love these photos… Scandinavia has long been on my wish list…
Ooooh, hope you get to make it there!
Your photos gave me a strong visceral reaction. Brrrrrrr. What an amazing place! Here’s a link to my historical crush, Jean Moulin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/moulin_jean.shtml
I am currently facing a HUGE dilemma in my writing/publishing world, but since I’m moving tomorrow, I am delaying making any decisions until I get settled into my new home Thursday.
One way or another, I’m going to need all of your help as I launch a new online presence for my MG persona. I’ll fill you in on the details next week.
As regards progress on my WIP? Ha! I tried, but instead I’ve spent a lot of time doing fun things with all the people I’m going to miss tremendously. I have my priorities. ^_^ Plus packing. . .
Congrats to Deb. Next week I’ll be reporting from my new home. Yay!
Carry on Wipsters!
Oh wow, Jean Moulin–what a sad story. And what a great photo.
Although I’m YA at heart, I’m looking forward to seeing more of the MG side of you! And if you need any extra opinions on dilemmas, feel free to ping me.
Most of all, best of luck with that last packing and your move!!
I’ll be interested to hear about all these major writerly decisions after your move. I love the smell of Colorado. I always feel like it’s where I should live.
I love Colorado, too! Maybe we can all visit Angelina once she’s settled? 🙂
Ooh a #wipmadness retreat!
A #wipmadness retreat?! YES! *runs to get passport application* LOL
I’ve been to Colorado once, for my college roomie’s wedding. That was a long time ago…I should probably visit again, yes? 😉
You’re moving to CO? I used to live there…I miss it. I’m interested in hearing of your MG persona and what you’re doing to launch his/her online presence. That sounds fascinating. Good luck on the move, I hope it all goes smoothly!
FYI, Colorado is home to a lot of hoopers. Just sayin’.
Thinking of you this week, Angelina. Leaving is hard, even when “going” is good and right and exciting.
Safe travels, my friend! I hope everything goes smoothly. 🙂
Beautiful photos! I don’t have visual inspiration or a song-list or anything yet for my new WIP – it’s so new that I’m still at that jumble of words stage. I’m up to about 11k, but most of it is notes and randomly jotted scenes. But I’m getting to know my characters and loving it.
Ooooh, you know, as much as I love the visual and musical inspiration, I also kind of love that brainstorming part where everything is wide open. So glad you’re loving it!
YAY, Deb!
And I love visual inspiration, Kip. I have clippings and photos and a Scrivener file full of images. Of course, I am dying to go to Lily Dale to get some more inspiration for my book, but the funds just aren’t there right now. So I wander around in Nature and take some of my own photos.
My Project 365 blog was all about everyday inspiration and those little things that hold the magic of ordinary life. I continued with another photo blog that is a little less pressure.
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to share my pinups from Scrivener. Suffice it to say it is full of flora from the region, vintage maps of the town (c. 1850), and images of the Fox sisters and their homes.
I guess I’ve shied away from pinterest and stuck to a more local shrine! 🙂
Write on, wipsters!
Oh, yes! You are a perfect person to share your visual inspiration! I loved Project 365. Your Scrivener pinups sound AWESOME.
Thanks, Kip! And you inspired me, so I shared my some screenshots of my Scrivener over on my blog: Visual Inpsiration
For my project I googled Youtube videos of pinata makers and researched gourmet popsicle flavors from the King of Pops.
http://kingofpops.net/flavors
I also have a file folder with photos of my characters but I’m too worried about copyright laws to post them. How can you do it on Pinterest, aren’t there the same concerns?
Anyway – I’ve about finished going back through the first 115 of my WIP and can begin drafting again. Plus my agent is doing exciting things with my other ms this week. Things I can’t talk about on the internet. (clamps down happy, bubbly, hopeful, interior self)
Iceland is amazing – wow, what striking images. It certainly creates a mood doesn’t it?
Wow! Pinata makers? That sounds really interesting! My daughter had her first pinata for her birthday in July…she loved it! 🙂
Oooooh, thanks for sharing the video–so cool! I’m not sure about copyright/pinterest either to be honest. I prefer using my own photos or ones which clearly fall in the public domain.
Congrats on catching back up to where you were in your wip–here’s to good progress this week! (and fingers crossed for other agently doings)
Beautiful pics!
I am inspired by the historical aspects of my WIP. Even though it’s a contemporary, there are elements from the 1930’s. Researching clothes, furniture, and even music to set the tone from that era. Awesome. I haven’t made a playlist for this book, but I should! (I see some time-wasting in my near future-not today, today is for writing).
Off to write!
Oooooh, I can’t wait to see some historical pics once you dig some up! Good writing vibes headed your way for the week!
I don’t have a lot of pictoral inspiration. I just joined pintrest this past month, so I’m just now looking at all those pictures (or trying not to waste time doing so…). My ms is a fantasy world, so I don’t have any particular place in mind when I write it, but a lot of it has taken place in the mountains and in forests. Mostly my memories of both Colorado and the Appalachians have provided the framework for those settings. Sorry, nothing to share (unless the memory extractor from Meet the Robinsons has been invented).
I’ve written approx. 3K this week, which is much less than I wanted, but more than I had! I’ve decided to back off of my crazy goal and make it a little more reasonable: 15K this month…I think I can do that! We’ll see! (I’ve written 4K+ so far)
Fantasy set in mountains and forests sounds good to me! Glad you made so much progress last week–yippee!
Those pics are A-MAZ-ING. I’m fascinated by how the natives deal with that kind of cold constantly. Your outfit was adorable. =) Since I’m brainstorming a new idea, progress isn’t in a word count yet, but more in reading material. This week, my goal is to complete a couple of character sheets and start getting to know these people.
The funny thing is that they normally don’t get that much snow there because of the Gulf Stream–Greenland’s usually much whiter than Iceland! But we were “lucky” to get snow there and I have to say, it made the landscape even more beautiful to me. Sounds like you had a great week and have a great plan for the week ahead!
I spent all last week in formatting hell, but I think I’ve finally climbed out of it! Back to working on a WIP and hope to get it back to my agent this week.
Oh noes! Formatting hell makes me shudder. Blech. Hope you have much more fun on the WIP this week instead!
I second Kip’s comment. You’ve totally earned an awesome week of #wipmadness!
Thanks for this post, visuals are so important for me…so much so that I replied to your post in a post on my blog, here: http://whimsicallyours.com/2012/09/10/wip-love-week-2-wipmadness/
Oooooh, cool! So glad to see some pinterest WIP love!
Yay, week 2!
I’d have to say that I don’t have a ton of visual inspiration for my novel beyond this fabulous lady:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demona
Though I hesitate to bring it up because my story isn’t fan fiction or a rehash of that particular cartoon show, but the look of her is definitely an inspiration for my “beast” character.
As for the #wipmadness, I submitted my first attempt at the “meat” of my query to the #GUTGAA contest and was accepted, so people are helping me iron it out there.
http://deanabarnhart.blogspot.com/2012/09/pitch-polish-110-missed-entry-added.html
I’m also working to find Beta Readers and Critique partners through the contest as well, it’s been a big week.
Writing wise I’ve finished a new chapter this week.
Lots to do.
Yes! This is just what I mean about visual inspiration. It’s the same for me, that it’s really a springboard for creativity. How cool is it to be inspired by a cartoon!?!?
Sounds like you’ve had a great week and have a busy one ahead–best of luck!
Those photos are so cool! I can see why they inspire you. I haven’t found similarly inspiring visuals for my WIP. At this point I’d take any kind of inspiration. All the promo stuff for my prior book is zapping my energy to write. My week is definitely off to a slooooow start.
The week is still in its infancy! Hope you can squeeze in some time for a little writing energy. 🙂
Sorry your energy’s been zapped! I hope you find some refreshment and renewal so you’re able to enjoy some writing time. 🙂
My visuals are similar to yours, Kip — cold, snowy, and beautiful! Stuff like this http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/images/pic_wonder_northern_lights_lg.jpg and this http://www.naturetoursyukon.com/images/cxbgnew_1x2-2.jpg and this http://www.where.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Yukon-ice-shelf.jpg …Mostly I use my memories, but when I need a boost of inspiration or mood-setting, I google Yukon winter pics. 😉
Shari!! I LOVE these pictures! That sky is HUGE in those. But so great that you have the actual memories to pull from, too. Best of luck for a productive week!
My visuals are going to involve a lot of searches on Boca Raton, Florida. Even a quick Google Maps search shows that I need to tweak the narrative a bit. But the images will help me get into the head of my main character, who’s a Vancouverite experiencing the place (and the humidity!) for the very first time.
This was a slow week, sort of, but I got to the root of a problem I was stalled on by outlining more. I’m feeling good about things now. 🙂 Onward!
Soooo funny–after looking at Shari’s cold pictures above, the idea of humid Florida must make me feel like your MC does! Glad to see your outlining helped you push past a stall. Best of luck for the rest of the week!
I think you need to take a trip to Boca!!
Thanks for the book win! Will email you. And–one of my goals for this week is to get back into my morning routine that includes checking emails, going on twitter etc etc, lol!
Been writing almost everyday this week. Pulled out a new notebook and started writing long hand. Man, I had forgotten how much I loved doing that. Going to carry on with that this week.
Also-reading HAPPY MEDIUM yet again. Wondering if I should just leave that thing alone and move on, the plot is a big fat mess! Shiney Shiney new idea came to me today…
Thanks for hosting us and sharing those awesome pics…a return trip sounds like a plan. Inspired pics for me right now are the mountains and old crumbly houses and mansions.
Congrats again on the win! I’ll be sending it off tomorrow. So glad to see you’re writing so much! I can’t do longhand myself (I do use a notebook for brainstorming and outlining notes, but not for writing) and I’m always impressed by those who can. Onward!
Haven’t checked in for a few months. I’m working on the 3rd draft of a YA SF novel, third in a series (sequel to Violet Eyes and Silver Eyes). Just four more chapters to go. I’m hoping to finish at the end of the month, but it will depend when I receive line edits for my adult fantasy novel.
Ooooh, so glad you are here! I just looked up your site and your work sounds fantastic! Good luck finishing this month!